Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

HC Deb 08 July 1991 vol 194 c281W

Mr. Flynn

To ask the Lord President of the Council what consideration has been given by Her Majesty's Government to the provision of full funding for the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

Mr. MacGregor

[holding answer 27 June 1991]: At a meeting on 26 March the Select Committee on House of Commons (Services) acknowledged the need for improved scientific and technological advice to be made available to Members and gave instructions for questionnaires to be issued to all individual Members, and to select committees, in order to estabilish the extent of demand for services of the kind offered by Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology—POST.

Replies to these questionnaires are now being examined, and in the light of these the Committee will consider whether to proceed towards more detailed proposals for the funding of POST and, if so, what further information and evidence may be required to support such proposals.

Any recommendation from the Services Committee for the provision of substantial public funding for POST will of course need to be submitted to the House.